Mitchell will have surgery on his hamstring after being placed on injured reserve Tuesday, ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner reports. Out for most of the summer with a hamstring injury, Mitchell returned to practice Aug. 21 but then suffered a more serious hamstring injury not long thereafter. He's now out for the season and scheduled for surgery, leaving Jordan Mason as the presumed No. 2 running back ahead of a Week 1 matchup with the Jets. The 49ers hope to get Christian McCaffrey (calf) back in practice soon, and they're backfield depth suddenly looks shaky with Isaac Guerendo bothered by a groin injury and Cody Schrader claimed off waivers by the division-rival Rams. Mason and Patrick Taylor are the only fully healthy RBs on the roster or practice squad.
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IR - Hamstring - Surgery Expected Return: 2025-02-10Latest Elijah Mitchell news
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Mitchell will have surgery on his hamstring after being placed on injured reserve Tuesday, ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner reports. Out for most of the summer with a hamstring injury, Mitchell returned to practice Aug. 21 but then suffered a more serious hamstring injury not long thereafter. He's now out for the season and scheduled for surgery, leaving Jordan Mason as the presumed No. 2 running back ahead of a Week 1 matchup with the Jets. The 49ers hope to get Christian McCaffrey (calf) back in practice soon, and they're backfield depth suddenly looks shaky with Isaac Guerendo bothered by a groin injury and Cody Schrader claimed off waivers by the division-rival Rams. Mason and Patrick Taylor are the only fully healthy RBs on the roster or practice squad.
The 49ers placed Mitchell (undisclosed) on injured reserve Tuesday. Mitchell kicked off August with a strained hamstring that sidelined him for a good portion of training camp and the entire preseason slate, but he returned to practice last Wednesday, signaling he was making progress in his recovery. It's unclear if the aforementioned health concern precipitated this move, but he'll nonetheless miss the entire season. With Mitchell on IR, Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor will be the reserve running backs behind Christian McCaffrey (calf) to begin the campaign.
Mitchell isn't in line to play in Friday's preseason game in Las Vegas, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. A strained hamstring sidelined Mitchell for the first two exhibitions, and even though he returned to practice Wednesday, the 49ers will opt to keep him in street clothes two days later. He'll thus turn his focus to Week 1, when he's expected to serve as the primary backup to All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey (calf). In 27 regular-season games in his three-year career, Mitchell has averaged 4.7 YPC while scoring 10 total touchdowns.
Mitchell (hamstring) resumed practicing Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports. Mitchell has been sidelined due to a strained hamstring since Aug. 6, but he's managed to resume practicing ahead of San Francisco's preseason finale against the Raiders on Friday. The 49ers could still opt to hold Mitchell out of exhibition action, but he looks ready to suit up Week 1 versus the Jets. Meanwhile, while Christian McCaffrey (calf) continues to work his way back, Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) and Jordan Mason (hip) both also resumed practicing this week.
Mitchell (hamstring) is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason opener, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Areareports. The 49ers have a numbered of injured running backs also not playing Saturday, including Christian McCaffrey (calf) and Isaac Guerendo, but it doesn't seem as if backup Jordan Mason will see extensive snaps. As a result, Cody Schrader, Matt Breida and Patrick Taylor could see plenty of opportunities.
Coach Kyle Shanahan relayed Tuesday that Mitchell is dealing with a strained hamstring, Lindsey Pallares of the 49ers' official site reports. Meanwhile, Christian McCaffrey has a calf strain that figures to sideline him a couple of weeks and Isaac Guerendo has been slowed by a hamstring issue. To bolster their backfield depth amidst the injuries, the 49ers have added Matt Breida to the mix. Once Mitchell returns to the field, he'll look to cement his standing as McCaffrey 's top backup.
Jordan Mason may challenge Mitchell for the No. 2 RB role, Jordan Elliott of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Mitchell was still viewed as the clear No. 2 running back as recently as minicamp in June, but Mason's continued development may be complicating things. San Francisco's strong backfield depth behind Christian McCaffrey could even make Mitchell a trade target heading into the final year of his rookie contract, although the 49ers would probably feel better about that if fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo was practicing rather than nursing a hamstring injury. Mitchell still makes sense as a late-round pick in fantasy drafts, as it's hard to know if the camp hype surrounding Mason really matters relative to Mitchell's solid track record when tasked with a lead role. There's even potential for Mitchell's value to rise considerably between now and Week 1, either via a trade or a McCaffrey injury.
Mitchell remains the clear No. 2 running back for San Francisco, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports. Lombardi notes that the Niners have a history of trading backup running backs (Matt Breida, Jeff Wilson) when they're happy with their depth at the position. That could be an option this summer, though it's not necessarily likely, with Mitchell in the final year of his contract and a pair of rookies (fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo, UDFA Cody Schrader) getting work at minicamp. The 49ers also have returning veteran Jordan Mason, but he's mostly played special teams and has never managed to move above Mitchell on the depth chart when Mitchell's been healthy. The long-term plan probably entails Guerendo taking over as the No. 2 RB behind Christian McCaffrey, but Mitchell looks on track to handle the role again this season.
Mitchell was the only San Francisco backup to receive carries for the second straight week. The 25-year-old wound up logging seven snaps on offense, but he barely made an impact in the box score Sunday. Mitchell's inconsistent play combined with a smaller role on offense this year should keep him out of fantasy lineups when San Francisco returns from its bye to face the Jaguars on Nov. 12.